While the earthquake was, obviously, unavoidable, the way in which many of the people of Haiti lived was not. Regrettably, some Haitians would have died regardless of the conditions in that country. But the fact that so many people lived in such abject poverty exacerbated the extent of the crisis. How could humans do this to themselves?

Only someone with a total lack of education about global economics, colonial history, and public health could possibly ask such an inane question, leading me to believe that, indeed, Paul Shirley somehow was transported from the beginning of time, with a primordial brain and an underdeveloped heart.
Read more at your own risk, but suffice it to say that this is one of the most offensive pieces of writing I’ve come across in a very long time. Is it important to search for Haitian-created solutions for future natural disasters? Yes. Is it critical that the money being donated be accounted for and used efficiently and equitably? Yes. But translating those legitimate concerns into a demonization of the Haitian people, completely ignoring the legacy of racism and exploitation that has contributed to so much of the poverty there, is unconscionable.
Feel free to send Paul an email regarding your reactions to his piece: mysocalledcareer@gmail.com
Check out community post Dear Paul Shirley.Thanks to Megan Osberger for the heads up.

To be quite sure, the murderous DDS was indeed responsible for a stunning tragedy: killing a beloved lion in a Zimbabwe national park and then beheading him for the sake of a trophy. The bloody practise drips with ugly anachronisms, from being a shabby and pathetic display of masculine prowess that demonstrates the ultimate poverty of manhood as an idea, to the colonialist overtones of a white man paying 50,000 dollars to fly to an African nation and turn some of its endangered fauna into a ...

The first rule of domestic violence in China is don’t talk about domestic violence in China. Victims face “fear and shame” when they speak out within”a culture that denies there is a problem,” as Kim Lee, an American advocate who was married to an abusive Chinese partner, told the New York Times. Abusers are almost never held to account. Confucian patriarchal norms blame women for domestic discords, inadequate law enforcement has little understanding of abusive relationship dynamics, and the public is largely apathetic. Though pending legislative changes may better situation, China is to date an ideal place for domestic ...

Ed. note: This post was originally published on the Community site.

*Trigger warning: domestic violence and sexual assault*

The first rule of domestic violence in China is don’t talk about domestic violence in China. Victims face “fear and ...

“Symbols are the key to telepathy. The mind wraps its secrets in symbols; when we discover the symbols that shape our enemy’s thought, we can penetrate the vault of his mind.”

— Lady Deirdre Skye, Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri

Every political action must be met with an equal and opposite reaction, it seems. To read writer and critic Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Twitter feed is to see him barraged with people suggesting that the turning tide against the public display of the Confederate flag in the US is a mere distraction.

The “Confederate Flag not that big of a deal” argument is cousin to “Oh it’s class, not race” argument that afflicts liberals.